He is
a ventriloquist, a comedian who does his own comedy by speaking in two voices,
using a puppet and himself, as the speakers.
According to him, there are only
two people who are capable of the art in Nigeria, himself and one Bariyu
Yusufu.
In this interview with Star Tracker, the Delta State-born, Warri-bred
comedian/writer shares his career experience as a ventriloquist.
How did you
discover you could do comedy?
I’ve been
funny since I was a little boy, but I started attaching the title ‘comedian’ to
my person when I was in the university. While there, people always referred to
me as a comedian.
I heard that a lot, but I never intended to be a comedian,
just a funny actor because I studied Theatre Arts at the University of Ibadan.
Since in Nigeria more people are making a name out of comedy, I just took a
decision to pursue that line of entertainment.
Why
ventriloquism?
Ventriloquism
came into the picture late 2013. In 2012, my younger brother wanted to be a
ventriloquist; he brought the idea to me that he wanted to go into it but along
the line he died in a tragic robbery attack.
It was really devastating for me
and my family, especially because I was the last person who saw him alive.
During that period, I could not even create one funny material; I could not do
comedy anymore for like the next six months that followed.
The only relief for
me then was that I could write.
After we lost him, I decided to pick
ventriloquism up and give it a try.
At first, it wasn’t easy because
ventriloquism requires that you talk without moving your lips.
There’s no
school of ventriloquism in Nigeria and nobody to learn it from.
It was difficult,
I fumbled a lot and my family members usually laughed at me whenever they saw
me practicing, but I watched other foreign ventriloquists, I looked out for
their interviews, written materials and so on.
Luckily, I was able to get
someone in the US who makes puppets.
He sent me messages on how to go about it.
It’s easier to learn it as a child, when you’re younger, between the ages of
six to twelve.
The best
ventriloquists in the world today actually started before they were twelve
years old.
As an older person, you can still get it right with a lot of
practice.
But there are words you can’t pronounce without moving your lips like
words consisting of letters like M, V, P, B, F, even if you master how to talk
without moving your lips.
When it comes to such words, you just have to be
careful.
Although, with constant practice, you can get over it, but it’s advisable
to always avoid words with those letters.
That’s the major challenge in
ventriloquism.
When you master that, you have to learn the performance, puppet
manipulation and other things which involve constant practice and watching
other professionals.
So far, do you
think you have mastered the art of ventriloquism?
If I say I’m
100% there, it’s a lie because even those who have been doing it for more than
thirty years still make mistakes.
One major reason they give which I realise is
the truth is that when you stop practicing, it starts fading. It is required
that every day you must rehearse for at least 15 minutes for your performance
to be good.
One major thing is that you have to start treating that object that
is not alive as though it’s alive. You have to always talk to your puppet, be
it a human or animal puppet. It’s weird, that’s why it’s advisable to have a
special room to do it where no one comes in, just you and the puppet.
How long did
it take you to master the art?
I think
because of the passion and interest, it took about a year for me to come out
and say I am a ventriloquist. Since then and now, I’ve come to realise that
daily rehearsal routine is not something you joke with. Even after spending ten
years doing it and you’re perfect at it, when you stop, you have to start again
from the basics.
With your
brand of comedy do you think you have found a place in the Nigerian
entertainment industry?
From the
reaction and appreciation I get, I feel ventriloquism has gotten a place in the
Nigerian entertainment industry, people love it. I don’t think I have ever
gotten that kind of appreciation from standard comedy but whenever I do a
ventriloquism performance I get applauded.
How has
ventriloquism affected your person?
Family members
find it weird. People find it weird they know it’s not alive, and yes you just
have to talk to it. You have to use an emotional tune like when you taking to a
normal person, that’s the only way you can make people to like it. You talk to
it like you are talking to someone alive
What is the
greatest price you’ve paid for your career?
Puppet is a
challenge because it’s handmade, it is not a company that makes them, they are
made by somebody working somewhere, either in a supermarket or a mall, a person
that has the gift. So you have to carve it from base wood and then the mechanism
you will put together to make it. The least you can get from a good puppeteer
is four months which is not even possible. When you place the order, you have
to wait for 8-months because it’s going to be built from the scratch. Sometimes
they will make you pay 70-percent of the total fee and by the third month they
would have spent the whole money. So after the third month it’s like they are
making the thing free for you, nothing to motivate them. Sometimes, it takes
some people five years to get theirs. The best puppet builder is a man called
Tim Selberg, you cannot even get yours in one year, and it’s the best, it’s
handmade. Most times they will tell you when the inspiration is not there they
cannot work.
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